India’s young guns blow away Australia, enter semis

Pacer Kartik Tyagi blew away the Australian top-order
with a sensational spell to power India into the semifinals of the ICC U-19
World Cup with a comfortable 74-run win on Tuesday. Kartik’s four wickets came
after India recovered through Atharva Ankolekar’s combative half-century to
reach 233 for nine, a modest total which the holders defended in impressive
fashion. Riding on Kartik’s spell in which he swung the ball at a good speed,
India bundled out Australia for 159 with 6.3 overs to spare in their Super
League quarterfinal.

Invited to bat, India lacked a substantial partnership
until Atharva and Ravi Bishnoi joined forces to raise a fighting 61-run stand
for the seventh wicket. Atharva scored an unbeaten 55 off 54 balls with five
fours and a six, while Bishnoi made 30 off 341 balls.

Tyagi (4/24) then produced a dream spell in which he
removed Australian skipper Mackenzie Harvey (4) and Lachlan Hearne (0) in
successive balls in his very first over. This was after Jake Fraser-McGurk had
run himself out in the very first ball of their innings.

He did not get a hat-trick but added the scalps of Oliver
Davies (2) and Patrick Rowe (21) to take the life out of the Australian chase.
India’s modest total would have given the Australians hope but it became a
herculean task after their top order was polished off. Opener Sam Fanning (75)
kept fighting from one end but that only delayed the inevitable. He added 81
runs for the sixth wicket with Liam Scott (35).

When Australia required 85 runs off the last 10 overs,
spinner Bishnoi broke the stand by getting rid of Scott, while left-arm pacer
Akash Singh sent back Fanning. The writing was on the wall after that as Akash
(3/30) wrapped up the match by adding the wickets of Todd Murphy and Matthew
Willans to his tally.

Earlier, only opener Yashaswi Jaiswal put up a semblance
of resistance against the Australian attack, scoring an 82-ball 62 with the
help of six fours and two sixes. Divyaansh Saxena (14), Tilak Varma (2), Priyan
Garg (5) and Dhruv Juel (15) all struggled.

After losing one partner after another, Jaiswal went for
a pull off Tanveer Sangha but edged the ball between his legs on to the stumps.
Before Sangha came on to bowl, bespectacled off-spinner Todd Murphy (2/40)
frequently troubled the Indian batsmen.

Jurel, whose technique looked compact, timed the ball
well but often found the fielders. Not being able to find the gaps meant his
scoring rate was quite low. Jaiswal, who was fluent in his stroke-making, had
already departed and it adversely affected India’s run rate. Under pressure,
Jurel went after Muprhy but ballooned the ball up for wicketkeeper Rowe to take
an easy catch.